Director Richard Linklater
Genre Comedy
Cast Zoey Deutch, Blake Jenner, Tyler Hoechlin, Ryan Guzman
Rating R
Release Date April 8th, 2016
“A group of college baseball players navigate their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood.”
Richard Linklater has had quite the diverse career as a director thus far, having crafted the likes of Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, School of Rock, Bernie, A Scanner Darkly, and Boyhood, to name a few. Clearly as an artist he prefers to mix it up, which I think says a lot about him in terms of his versatility as a director and screenwriter. Everybody Wants Some!! is directed and written by Linklater. According to him, the film is a continuation of his 2014 film Boyhood (a project that took an astounding 12 years to complete), which ended with a guy showing up at college and meeting his new roommates and a girl. Filming was split between Texas State University and the downtown area in San Marcos, Texas.
Everybody Wants Some!! is well-written, insightful, real, and genuinely entertaining. If I had to categorize the form or type of entertainment I would say it is of the “smart” variety. The film passes on the opportunity for cheap laughs, especially considering the Animal House meets Old School-esque setting. Instead the smartly-written script allows for the development of complex characters each with their own unique personality. The late 70’s/early 80’s setting is intoxicating and the mustaches and clothing from that era is just perfect. I found myself laughing out loud on numerous occasions but what I enjoyed most was the dialogue, which felt fresh, creative, and extremely articulate. I have replayed some of the interactions between the characters in my head and I can’t wait to see the movie again. Everybody Wants Some!! requires the audience to exhibit some patience because it might be right up until the credits appear on screen before you fully realize just how great of a film it really is.
The acting in Everybody Wants Some! is perfect and I really enjoyed the cast. The chemistry was incredible and the characters played off each other very well. I read that Linklater actually had the cast live together for months in a guest house he has on his property so that the idea of a bunch of guys living in a house together would be as authentic as possible. 23 year-old Blake Jenner plays the lead role of incoming freshman Jake. He has a fairly short acting resume thus far consisting of mostly short films and non-recurring television roles. Jenner was perfect for his role as he epitomizes the wholesome all-American who may or may not be on the cusp of peer-pressure induced shenanigans. The relatively unknown cast of actors and actresses all perform well and seem to be given plenty of support and direction in their respective roles.
Everybody Wants Some!! offers the audience Richard Linklater’s own personal brand of smart and insightful filmmaking, to the point where it will reinforce faith in genuine artistic integrity. Linklater’s films tend to serve as character studies of sorts and his newest work definitely carries that same feel. Everybody Wants Some!! will make you laugh and it will keep you entertained, but what really stood out to me was how much heart the film had, and that above all else will ensure an infinite shelf-life. Be sure to check this one out sooner than later.
